Bullet narrowly misses kids in McMinnville home

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»Play VideoOne of the bullets pierced the wall of a room where a 2-year-old was sleeping and his older brothers were playing a video game. Police cut part of the wall out for evidence.

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – One family whose home was targeted in a weekend shooting were still shaken up Monday as they wondered who would fire randomly into their home and put their kids in danger.

On Wednesday, police said an arrest had been made in the case. McMinnville police say Jairo Velazquez went on a shooting spree over the weekend, firing at a house and an apartment.

Police also arrested Carissa Botello, who they say tried to hide evidence.

The Saturday shooting put a bullet hole in a fence rail outside the home of Victor Farias and a second in the home’s outside wall. Farias said he saw an SUV stop in front of his house “and then they drove off. While they were driving off, they rolled down the window and fired two gunshots.”

The bullet that smashed into the side of the house passed through the wall and landed just a few feet from where two-and-a-half-year-old Miguel was sleeping. His two older brothers were playing a video game just across the room.

“We can’t sleep at night, because we think that they’re going to come in and do the same thing again,” said mother Ana Toro.

The family has no idea who would have shot at their house or why. McMinnville police said they believe the shooter may have ties to a gang and may be responsible for another shooting not far away that happened 15 minutes later.

“Gang-related shootings are very rare out here, but apparently, now we’re stepping up a little bit,” said Capt. Dennis Marks with the McMinnville Police Department.

Farias said anyone who shoots at a house, especially with kids in it, “doesn’t have a heart.”

Police say that’s the biggest reason whoever’s responsible for the shootings has to be caught. If they continue, it’s only a matter of time before somebody’s seriously wounded or killed.

Police say they do have solid leads in the case but so far no one has been arrested.